Hoyer takes on entire House GOP

The typically low-key and collegial Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) was mighty peeved Tuesday afternoon after more than 100 GOP House members staged a coordinated protest during daily “one minutes” to attack the Dems’ health care and economic recovery efforts.

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The silver-haired majority leader apparently tired of hearing members shout “Where are the jobs?” into the mic — and stormed to the podium to offer his retort.

“When you talk about jobs, you ought to talk about your experience you had,” Hoyer said, cheeks reddening over a slate-gray suit. “You failed; we succeeded! ... As a matter of fact, in the last year of the Bush administration, we lost 3 million jobs.”

Earlier in the day, Hoyer told reporters it was possible the House might adjourn for the August recess without passing the health care reform bill as promised. That prospect was greeted with some relief among rank-and-file Democrats, who would like nothing better than to have the Senate take a tough reform vote before they do.

The GOP, on the other hand, seems eager to have the Democratic divisions over the plan — which includes tax hikes, small-business penalties and surcharges — fester on the floor.

Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, blasted away, saying: “It’s unconscionable for this majority and this administration to insist on a government takeover of health care in the middle of a recession.”

And one GOP lawmaker illustrated a point about the Democrats’ economic plans with a giant blowup of the photo of Larry Summers napping at a meeting in the height of the fiscal crisis.

For their part, Democrats pounced on reports that various GOP leaders were vowing to kill or cripple reform efforts.

“Without action, health care costs for the average family of four will rise $1,800 every year for years to come,” wrote Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Yet the Republican Party continues to talk of ‘killing’ health care reform and ‘breaking’ President Obama politically.”

‘Drop dead’

All told, it was a pretty hyperbolic day in the House, with Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) whacking the majority for not spending enough on eldercare.